Good or bad, the four largest radio companies in Salt Lake City have taken a majority of the market's listening audience - 69.8 percent - and their share is steadily growing as more stations are purchased.Jacor Communications, based in Covington, Ky., is the Wasatch Front radio leader. It owns seven stations - KALL, KKAT, KODJ, KBKK, KFAM, KZHT and KURR. Its audience share totals 21.5 percent of the age 12-plus audience.
Second in audience share is Simmons Family Inc., which owns KSFI, KRSP, KDYL, KOVO and KQMB, with 20.8 percent.
Citadel Communications is third at 19.3 percent with its six stations - KBEE, KUBL, KENZ, KFNZ, KBER and KCNR.
Fourth is Trumper Communications at 8.2 percent with KISN-FM, KISN-AM and KUMT.
Jacor has proved aggressive in the past year and announced in April it was purchasing KBBK (FM-106.5) from Garcia Broadcasting for $4.5 million and KFAM-AM from General Broadcasting Co. for $1.2 million.
Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller had hoped to purchased Bountiful station KFAM and make it his flagship station. In the end, he made an agreement with Citadel's KFNZ ("KFAN," AM-1320) for Jazz broadcasts.
Jacor also purchased five radio stations in southwestern Idaho last year and is now working to buy four Wyoming stations. Jacor now has more than 130 stations in 29 markets, according to an Associated Press report.
- PAUL HARVEY FANS TAKE NOTE! This popular radio broadcast is moving stations once again, for the umpteenth time in the past five years. It is moving May 12 from KDYL (AM-1230) to KALL (AM-910).
KALL now has the exclusive ABC Radio contract that includes Harvey. The station expects to air Harvey three times a day.
- HUGE RATINGS FOR "GROUND ZERO" - This Sunday night show (10 p.m. to midnight) on KBER (FM-101.1) had large ratings among the 18-34 listening audience last winter, according to the latest Arbitron estimates.
The show, hosted by Clyde Lewis, has a 21.8 percent listener sharing for adults between 11 p.m. and midnight. From 10-11 p.m., the show has a 15.8 percent share of the 18-34 audience.
"Ground Zero" features bizarre happenings, ranging from UFOs, to Bigfoot to the paranormal and ghosts. There's apparently nothing like it in the country on radio.
"R&R Magazine" described Lewis' show as a real-life "X-File."
- JON CARTER UPDATE - Since this popular morning DJ returned to the air - this time on KRSP ("Arrow" 103.5, FM) - listener response has been overwhelming.
According to station officials, the number of telephone calls to the station - all positive - has been phenomenal.
"I had no idea I had so many followers," Carter said.
The station had to assign an extra three employees just to answer telephones during Carter's first week on the air.
Carter has also managed to work his imaginative radio segments, like "Mr. Twister," into KRSP's steady mix of music.
It's expected that KRSP's ratings will go up this spring, mainly thanks to Carter.
- KCPW (FM-88.3) will air a book review on "Barry Goldwater," by University of Utah history professor Robert Goldberg, Tuesday, May 13, 11 a.m.
"Blood and Oil: Memoirs of a Persian Prince" will be broadcast Thursday, May 15, 11 a.m.
- TEN YEARS AGO - KRSP begins plans to count down the top 300 oldies for Memorial Day weekend . . . KSL turns 65 . . . KSOP's "Country Joe" Flint hosts a country music show on KOOG.
- RADIO HAPPENINGS - KSL celebrated its 75th birthday Tuesday, and hosts talked about the station's effect on the community . . . "Cano and the Bull Crew" on KUBL had a free money phone contest under way. The DJs also did another "Cowboy Hat Trick" contest at Wednesday's Grizzly hockey game . . . Tom Barberi on KALL discussed the continuing debate over the "Redskin" nickname Tuesday . . .
"Dain and Peggy" on KSFI provided a "Morris Travel Tip" each morning . . . "Quiet Moments with Booner and Hot Rod," a new comical segment by Jon Carter on KRSP aired . . . "The Space Elders" on KXRK with "Kerry, Bill and Gina" Tuesday broke the time barrier and landed on the "Planet of the Apes." The station has a Mustang car contest under way . . .
Mark Van Wagoner on KDYL provided listeners with Mother's Day gift suggestions Tuesday . . . "Dickie Shannon" on KODJ gave away tickets to the Sports Park this week . . . "Fisher, Todd and Erin" on KISN-FM will give away a trip to Hawaii May 16. On Tuesday, the DJs asked listeners about matchups, blind dates etc. . . .
"Kidd Cassidy and the Mornin' Posse" on KKAT asked listeners Tuesday who is more jealous - men or women. The station continued to give away exclusive tickets to Colorado's "Country Jam" . . . "Mick and Allen" on KURR had a lizard in their studio Tuesday . . . "The Wakeup Club" on KBEE gave listeners the answer to a Disneyland question Tuesday. The question and the chance to win a Disney trip came later in the day. In addition, Robert Lund sang a timely song about flooding.
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On Line
Deseret News radio editor Lynn Arave can be reached by e-mail at (lynn@desnews.com).